The Springbok loose forward will be undergoing surgery to correct an injured shoulder, which rules him out of action for at least the first four weeks of Super Rugby action. This adds to the injury of another loose forward, Keegan Daniel, who will miss the first four weeks at least.

This leaves the Sharks with Marcell Coetzee, Jean Deysel, Jacques Botes, Lubabalo Mthembu and Francois Kleinhans to choose from, while Ryan Kankowski is back in Durban following his stint in Japan, but it is believed he needs to strengthen up before playing Super Rugby.

Sharks coach John Plumtree is likely to play Coetzee and Deysel together on the side of the scrum while Mthembu starting off the back. Jacques Botes did impress during preseason and could well force his way into the starting team, which would force a reshuffle and Coetzee potentially playing off the back of the scrum.

The Sharks start their Super Rugby campaign in Bloemfontein against the Cheetahs on Saturday evening.